Space data sheds new light on Murray Darling

20 May 2009, 6:36 pm   -   Source: AAP
Share This

The Murray-Darling Basin has lost the equivalent of 400 Sydney harbours-worth of water, satellite data shows.

RELATED

The Murray-Darling Basin has lost the equivalent of 400 Sydney harbours-worth of water, satellite data shows.

Researchers pored over data from space to assess the magnitude of the drought crippling Australia's biggest river system.

They found that over the last six years, the basin has lost 200 cubic kilometres of water. Only about six per cent of that was surface water.

About half was groundwater, and the rest was moisture from the soil.

Researcher Marc Leblanc, from James Cook University, said the drought was far worse than previously thought.

"The severe drought in the Murray-Darling Basin is a stark reminder of the sort of major water crisis we could face under climate change," Dr Leblanc said.

He said most of the surface water and soil moisture had been lost in the first two years of the drought, but then the problem switched to groundwater, where water levels continued to drop. "The groundwater drought continues to worsen," Dr Leblanc said.

The research was conducted by James Cook University and the Australian National University.

Researchers said looking at data from space was a good way to learn more about droughts and total water loss.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube